Medical home for persons with disabilities and the role of electronic personal health records

Although a wealth of information currently exists surrounding the Medical Home concept, many barriers also exist that impede the implementation of this healthcare approach. First, a lack of awareness among persons with disabilities, their families, healthcare providers, caregivers and others prevents the adoption of Medical Homes. With more accessible information regarding the medical home and a greater promotional force, possible stakeholders would be more informed and more able to participate as a part of a medical home. Another obstacle in the way of successful execution of this concept is the complexity and fragmentation of the intricate service infrastructure. The disability service system can be incredibly difficult to navigate, creating significant challenges for persons with disabilities attempting to coordinate multiple services. Despite these set backs, the Medical Home concept presents an appropriate, integrated and accessible system of care for persons with disabilities. Many of today's upcoming medical developments, such as the electronic Personal Health Record (PHR), offer the efficacy and function that could serve as a potential stimulus to the growth of the Medical Home model.

The Medical Home approach ensures persons with disabilities and their health care providers have 24-hour access via email, telephone, and as necessary in person to important medical records and information. In support of the Medial Home, the electronic PHR has a pivotal supporting role. Through its features such as portability, correspondence logs, and lists of current providers, among other, the PHR will prove to be an invaluable asset to the success of the medical home. Its utility will facilitate coordination among client, family, caregivers and healthcare providers, one of the cornerstones of the Medical Home model. These and other benefits of the electronic PHR are capable of assisting the Medical Home to reach its purpose of providing accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family-centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective primary care to persons with disabilities.

http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/medicalhome.cfm